Eyes of Blood
by Inabikairi ga osotta
Summary: Sakura didn't wake up in the morning expecting what she got. The most life changing experiences always happen when you think that you are just in another day, in the same world, and nothing will change. Life's monotony will catch us off guard, and we'll be woven into the deceitful web that life is predictable. That is when life springs the word we fear most: change.
1. Chapter I: A Most Stormy Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters

(Yeah, I know. I said I'd be leaving… changed my mind again! Lol writing fanfic is too fun, so screw school! xD)

Whew… Okay, so I think a typo I made just made things really unclear, so to be fair, I'm going to be working on two long term fanfictions simultaneously (or at least try to). Those will be Eyes of Blood and Renewed Love. This, as you know, is Eyes of Blood. :] I came up with this idea while reading the Tell-Tale Heart and Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe—which, I love both those stories lol But it's not based off them, I just got the idea after reading. I'll try to be consistent with back and forth updates between Eyes of Blood and Renewed Love (I'm currently working on that one), but in the mean time, enjoy!

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**CHAPTER I**

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Sakura didn't wake up in the morning expecting what she got. The most life changing experiences always happen when you think that you are just in another day, in the same world, and nothing will change. Life's monotony will catch us off guard, and we'll be woven into the deceitful web that life is predictable. That is when life springs the word we fear most: change.

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_Life is dull… _Sakura mused in her mind, tossing yet another crumpled paper into her waste basket. The aspiring artist had no inspiration. No beautiful element of nature stood out to her anymore. She had seen everything. She had travelled the streets of Konoha, she had visited Suna, and Kiri was an engraved memory in her mind. But none of that mattered. The life she was living had become dull, and her paintings were doing no better.

She tapped the end of her brush to her lips. Her mind was drawing a blank; darkness clouded the formally creative mind that she had. There were no more outgoing paintings by Haruno Sakura, there were just viewers bored with her monotonous style. Her paintings depended on her life, and her life depended on her paintings: both were not going well.

The sheltered life she had grown accustomed to in her small hut barely in the boarders of Konoha lost its thrill. She needed to travel—she needed to see something new and experience it for herself. Drawing in a sharp breath, Sakura made her decision. Without further hesitation, she packed her art supplies, a decent amount of money, and made her way for the road. Her life would change—whether or not she had to make it change.

This wasn't the first time Sakura had sworn her life would change and it didn't. Truthfully, these travels were just to ease her conscious and make her feel as if she was accomplishing something. _If only something actually would happen… _she wished, a frown curving her lips downward as a tear of depression tugged out of her eye. That wasn't the first tear she had shed over her failure.

The sky hung in the air, dark and dreary. It a bleak and cold night, foggy and covering any sign of a twinkling star. However, through the fog, the full of the moon could be seen. It was bloody red with a tinge of orange as it seemed to sway ominously above her. The girth of it seemed larger than normal, and the crimson coloring was beyond normal. Sakura swallowed hard, examining the sight before her. Such beauty in the darkness could never be expressed on paper, but if she was going to live, she had to try.

Once situated on a patch of grass, Sakura rested her papers onto her lap as she prepared her paints beside her. She begged a growing cloud not to cover the drearily captivating sight before her. She pleaded to every heavenly being that came to mind—though she believed in none. If those gods cared, they would have taken her out of her turmoil, wouldn't they have?

A rumble of thunder droned in her ears, and the patter of rain began to fall, first slow, gradually growing faster and heavier. Sakura face fell in horror. Rain. Rain meant she couldn't be outside, or else her paper and paints would be ruined. _Nothing ever works out! _She screamed in her mind, the rain crashing down effectively hiding her tears, but it wasn't as if anyone would see them. After all, she was alone. Alone and destined to stay as such. She was a painting hermit: it was her dream ever since she was younger, but now that she was in it she wished she could get out of it. It was destroying what little bit of life she had left.

Rushing to shove her papers and paints in a safe place, Sakura stuffed them in her shirt to keep them dry. Her pink tresses were soaked, hanging in her face in an uncomely manner. The fog had intensified, and she couldn't see her surroundings. She swung her mop out of her face, strings of hair still remaining in her view. How far from home had she wandered?

That didn't matter now. Right now, only one thing mattered: shelter. She needed shelter, no matter what the cost. Sakura held one hand around her torso to hold the paper and paints in place while her other hand dug in her pocket for her small bag of money: twenty copper coins rested in her hand. In Konoha, that was enough for a stay in a motel for one night, but where would she find a motel? Where would she eat?

Sakura attempted walking back in the direction she came, unknowingly walking off course. The thunder roared louder, a strong wind blowing against the pinkette's course. She struggled to not veer in her path, but there was no helping it. The wind blew her and she fell to the floor, her papers and paints falling out from her shirt. "No!" She wailed frantically, crawling in the muddy ground to recollect her things to keep them from getting soiled.

There was another rumble, but it wasn't from the thunder. Sakura's eyes widened in horror, her heart practically stopping as she looked behind her, emerald orbs glistening with apparent fear. All she saw were two horses and a large, coal black carriage heading right for her: she was on the street. Her life flashed before her eyes. Did she accomplish anything at all? She was still so young—so much time left. Were her friends right all along? Should she have done something other than art?

The carriage halted. How did they see her with all the fog? Sakura's heart pounded when she looked up to see the driver. His eyes were crazed—he looked half mad. Foaming drool trickled down from his mouth, which was harnessed like a horse's with his own set of reins leading back into the carriage. His red hair flew widely around his head—even with the rain patting it down. Those piercing, foggy blue eyes looked down at her slowly, eerily, dangerously. The man shrieked like a demon his eyes widening like two moons glazed over with clouds. He leaned towards her, his nostrils flaring as he strained to get closer to her.

He released the reigns, reaching his hands out towards her with nefarious intent. A shrill shriek ripped out of his insane throat once again as his face took on a quality of a rabid beast as the foam practically boiled out of his mouth. Sakura was frozen in fear as she trembled. This man was _not _human. Now that the carriage didn't run over her, she would die a slow death to this. _I would really prefer the horses at this point! _She finally could make a legitimate sentence in her frantic state.

The reins on the man's mouth were pulled on harshly, slamming his back onto the seat once again, tearing a crazed groan out his throat as he attempted to writhe free. Sakura's heart pounded within her chest, sweat dropping from her forehead. Just watching the… thing move in those slow, possessed sways was unsettling.

A silver haired male stepped out of the carriage. Spectacles adorned his face while he rather neat hair stood tied in the back as a ponytail. A nefarious smirk played at his lips, and slowly spread across his face. "Now, now, Gaara," his voice was seething in mockery, "calm down, it's just a girl." His coal orbs veered over and faced the pinkette. "I'm sorry if he frightened you, he's just having a bad day," his eyes squinted slightly as he portrayed a false character of cordiality.

"I—It's fine…" Sakura stammered, her breath practically gone from her. The groans of Gaara were still droning in her ears, an occasional demonic shriek breaking from between his lips. The silver haired man stepped towards her, but she only stepped back in turn. Someone who called _that _having a bad day couldn't possibly be so good himself. "W—who are you?" She swallowed, eyeing him carefully.

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" He stepped forward again, cornering her onto a tree. Sakura's chest tightened, her heart racing uncontrollably. She could practically hear its uneven rhythm rapidly beating in her ears. His hand reached out and grabbed her brutishly by her arm, pulling her towards him. "But that doesn't matter, because we can always _take _it out of you," there was a singsong pattern in his voice that promised nothing good, and it sent chills down Sakura's spine.

"Let me go!" She ordered, punching the male's chest frantically. "Help!" She screamed, but there was no one around her. No one around them. They were in the middle of nowhere. The man forcefully turned her around, slamming her onto the tree. Sakura breathed out a hard gasp as her lungs were emptied of air. He tied a blindfold around her eyes tightly until her head was throbbing in pain and she felt as if her eyeballs were being shoved further into their sockets.

More ropes bound her by her wrists and her ankles, making her more of a dead weight of a woman than anything else. Sakura couldn't see where on earth he was now dragging her, but she guessed it was the carriage, for the droning of Gaara's voice became clearer. "We have a new _specimen_, my lord," her captor's voice sung out to someone else sitting in the carriage.

"Excellent job, Kabuto," the other man's voice sung out in a low hiss. He sounded like a snake, devious and cunning. And yet, his voice held a tinge of the driver Gaara's crazed behavior with a lesser amount of genius overflowing in the simple two word sentence that rolled off his tongue. Sakura felt a cold hand on her face, lifting it as if to examine her. She attempted to jerk away, but it was too powerful. She heard the two men snickering devilishly. _What are they going to do to me? _She swallowed hard.

If they had planned to rape her, Kabuto would have done that already. A sharp pain shocked her on her arm. She yelled, struggling in the grip of the hands she equated to Kabuto. "Don't worry, you'll be sleeping soon enough," his voice cackled at her resistance. Sakura whimpered, feeling her senses dull as a wave of sleep began to overcome her.

She breathed in a sharp breath, attempting with all her might to stay awake. She must stay awake. She… must… stay….

_Awake…_

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A groan ripped out of her throat, her neck aching as she found there to be several cricks in it. She opened her eyes, which still ached a bit from the tight wrapping that was previously squeezing her head. But if the blindfold was gone… why could she not see anything? Her palms rested on the cold, rough floor as they became clammy in fear. It felt like stone. _Where am I? _She asked herself, her emerald orbs uselessly darting from place to place: all she could see was a blank sheet of black.

It was strange having the pressing feeling of being completely unknown in this room. How big was it? Or… how small was it? Was it a room at all, or was it a cave? She got up slowly, her legs wobbly from the lack of use. "You're awake…" a deep voice disturbed her silence, causing her to fall back onto the floor in fear and curl up against the wall. Her heart pounded. That voice—his voice was piercing, calm, and serene. It was too normal for this place.

"I—I thought I was alone…" she mumbled her musings, trying to hide the fear in her voice. She looked for a sign of life, but saw nothing. She couldn't even see eyes dancing in the darkness as she was sure he could, considering the bright emerald color. Sakura swallowed the lump growing in her throat from her nerves. A long wind of silence fell over the two. The pinkette shifted uncomfortably where she sat on the cold stone flooring.

"I'm not the only one here…" he whispered to her, as if he was being sure to not awake the other person with them. Sakura could hear a clear fear in the voice, and it made her heart pound. Who else was here with them? Chills ran up her arms and she rubbed them to mellow the sensation.

"Who else is…?" She gulped, not really wanting to hear. She heard the man take a deep breath before he answered in a low, hoarse whisper.

"A man who is dangerously obsessed with bloodshed… he has no sense about him—no wits… he's sleeping, but he's sure to awaken if blood is _anywhere _close. He loves the scent, the texture, the taste—it's dangerous," he warned lowly, his tone practically demanding her to never, _never _shed blood. His tone worried her. It made her forehead drip with droplets of sweat. _Why—why did I have to end up in this place, Kami?! _Sakura cursed herself for being unsatisfied with her life. She wished she could take back all of her complaints and be back in the comfort of her secluded hut.

Tears began to pour down from her eyes, and she whimpered into her palms, trying to fill the void that was lacking any comfort. She had to get out of here—she just had to. "Don't cry…" she heard the voice at the other side of the wall speak to her once again. Sakura shook her head in disbelief, the tears continuing to come down.

"How could I not cry?! I've just been captured, I have no idea where the heck I am, and now I have to live with someone who belongs in an insane asylum according to you!" She wailed, burying her face into her hands once again, crying more passionately. That was all she could do: cry. There were no words to express herself—only the reasons that she was expressing herself.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she jerked a bit. She looked up, feeling the body heat of another, but never seeing his eyes. Sakura swallowed hard, her body trembling. The hand on her shoulder squeezed comfortingly. "We're in an underground science lab where experiments are conducted…" Sakura's emerald orbs widened like saucers. _Experiments?! _She swallowed hard, her heart racing. She didn't want to ask—she didn't want to know, but the words came out:

"What… what do they experiment on?"

"Humans…"

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A dead, eerie silence had hung over the stone cold room for what felt like hours. Sakura was still absorbing what the man said: _"Humans…" _Humans. They experiment on humans. As if her life couldn't get any worse, she had to be captured by a group of literal lunatics who wanted to use her body for experimentation. What else could go wrong? _At least my 'roommate' is normal… _she mused, still trying to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness so she could see the man. She opened her mouth to speak, but it almost seemed like he knew whenever she was going to talk: "What's your name?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Haruno Sakura…" she breathed, nervously pushing a pink strand of hair behind her ear. She licked her lips to dampen them. If only she had been prepared for something like this… "What's yours…?" She asked him warily, rebuking herself mentally for giving out her name before requesting his. There was another dead silence, and Sakura swallowed hard. Was he not going to tell her? She heard him breathe out a harsh sigh that sounded something akin to relief.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke," he responded simply, a sort of subdued friendliness playing in his voice. Although he sounded harmless, Sakura wasn't at ease with him. He was here before her—who knew if he had already been experimented on? Then again, he wasn't shrieking and writhing as the carriage driver Gaara was. Maybe Sasuke wasn't so bad. She heard him shift as if he was getting comfortable where he sat.

"What's the other man's name…?" She asked in a wary, lowered tone, not wanting to awake the third member of their rooming party. Sakura could feel Sasuke's eyes on her, as if she were talking about a forbidden subject.

"When I say his name, he wakes up…" Sasuke explained, his tone full of solemnity. He continued after a sharp breath of air. "You should just call him 'Sleeper'."

"When will I meet him?" She asked.

"You don't _want _to meet him," Sasuke nearly cut her off. From what Sakura could tell, the Uchiha knew what he was talking about, but she couldn't help but be curious of the "Sleeper". The man, according to Sasuke, was obsessed with blood. The scent of blood would probably make his mouth foam in a similar way that Gaara's was. The taste would probably make his body writhe as it jolted through his system, granting him with an insane vigor. The texture: that would more than likely make him want to feel more and more, and he would rip you apart until there was no more blood left to drain. That was the Sleeper in Sakura's eyes, but what did he _really _act like?

"How long have you known him…?" She leaned forward a bit, resting her face in her palms. As her wrists bent, she felt a sharp pain spread throughout the flesh, which was raw from the previous wrappings Kabuto had put on her. Sakura winced, straightening her wrists to ease the pain. It seemed whenever she would ask him a question, Sasuke would take a bit of time to answer her—almost as if he wasn't sure himself, or his memory was lacking and he had to strain to remember.

"I've known him since after my first experiment," Sasuke said in a hoarse whisper, swallowing a lump in his throat immediately after. He continued: "When I came back, there was blood on my body because they cut me open, and he just came out from the shadows like a rapid beast and started to tears at my body—screaming like a demon…" his voice trailed off and his breathing was heavy as if he was in pain… or scared.

Sakura sweat dropped. The Sleeper sounded a lot like Gaara when he saw her for the first time. The image she had in her head was a man, mangy with fangs and dark hair, his eyes as blood red as what he desired most. Foam and drool would seethe out of his mouth as his eyes would dance with flames of obsessed ecstasy at the sight of his victim. He would hunch over, supporting his body with all four of his limbs, and as soon as you saw him he would be ominously looming over you, as if preparing to eat your very soul.

With that image dancing in her mind like a sea of future visions, Sakura's heart raced. She could tell—or at least guess _why _Sasuke didn't want this… this creature to awaken. This Sleeper was not human—he had gone beyond the levels of human. There was no doubt in her mind that Kabuto and his lord had experimented on the Sleeper, creating him into this mangy beast envisioned in her mind. "How did you survive?" She whispered, wanting to know in case of her own encounters with this man. Sasuke took a moment to answer, as if recalling the situation. A long pause fell over them; no sounds were heard from the Uchiha. Sakura fiddled with her fingers.

She didn't dare to break the silence—not again. But Sasuke was taking long to answer: much longer than he ever had been, and it was beginning to twist her nerves to a near loss of sanity. What did he do? Was he really _not _going to survive? Did he die? Did the Sleeper wake up and kill him? The more she dwelt on it, the more fearful she became. Sakura's heart raced in her chest hard so that she could hear the pounding in her ears. "H—Hello…?" She was desperate for another's voice: she had to break the silence before she literally went mad.

"I don't remember…" the man finally answered as if it had taken no time at all. Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief. After her self-scare, she was far too much at ease to be upset with his lack of consideration. Then again, it was probably hard for him to talk about the Sleeper. He had been attacked by him and he more than likely didn't want that happening again. _But even so, if something like that were to happen, no one would forget what they would do to end that situation… _she mused, untrusting of the Uchiha speaking with her. What had really happened? Did the Sleeper even exist, or was he trying to scare her?

Sakura couldn't jump to conclusions. It was safer to assume that the Sleeper existed and believe Sasuke rather than shoving his words aside—especially in a place like this. She would have to believe him—to trust him, as little as she desired to. For all she knew, he was just as crazy as the creature he spoke about, just in different ways. _He seems normal enough though… _she contradicted her thoughts. What was truth? And better yet, what would happen to her in this place?

She knew she couldn't avoid the experimentations—Kabuto was stronger than her; he had already subdued her and there wasn't truly any possibility she could get instantly stronger. Would she become a mangy beast like Gaara? Or like the Sleeper? Or, even possibly, like Sasuke? Sakura hugged her arms close to herself, pushing down the bumps of chills that were skittering across her skin.

Loud thumps were heard from outside the stone room from her side of the wall. It sounded like a trample—almost like horses, only more like a human mob. Her eyes veered towards what she perceived to be the door. "Sasuke, what is that noise?" She asked her cellmate.

"They're burning the failed experiments…" he stated solemnly. A drone of possessed groans and shrill shrieks pierced through the silent air in demonic tones. Sakura felt her entire body go rigid in fear, chills racing up her spine. She could hear the crackling of fire as body after body was tossed into the bonfire of humans—or creatures. A lump grew in her throat and she attempted to swallow it down.

A new fear arose in her mind as a realization came clear. She didn't only have to worry about Sasuke being insane, or the Sleeper suddenly waking up and wanting to drain her of her blood. She didn't only have to worry that she was living amongst these "things" that could barely be considered human any longer. She didn't only have to worry about being experimented on: she had to also worry about whether or not her body would accept the experimentation—or else…. She might end up like…

_Them._

**XxxX**

**There! First chapter completed. :] I hope you all liked it—this is definitely a bit different from the kind of stories I usually write. The M rating is, of course, for future lemons—it might also be for blood and gore and such… but I don't know if my descriptions will really fit into the M rated category for that, so we'll stick to lemons. Don't forget to R&R! Arigatogozaimasu for your support.**

**InaGaTa**


	2. Chapter II: It Writhes With Mortal Pangs

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters

I reached my word limit darnnit… I didn't want this chapter to end! Lol if I had to be completely honest with you guys, this story is evilly fun to write. I'm having way too much fun with it. One more thing before you get to the chapter: I finally, with many do's and don'ts have decided to make a facebook account purely for fanfiction. So if you guys want to keep up with me, the link should be on my profile. If not, PM me and I'll see what I can do. Anyways, enjoy chapter 2! :]

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**CHAPTER II**

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Her blood ran cold through her body, but her blood was the last thing she wanted to think about. What if the Sleeper could read minds? _Who knows what these things are capable of? _She shivered as she thought about the countless experiments that could be housed in this cold and dank stone laboratory. It was underground—it had to be, or else they would've been discovered a long time ago.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She had slept well—well enough for sleeping on a stone floor. The room was in complete silence, but it always was so—or at least close to that. She wouldn't be able to tell if Sasuke was awake or not. _His eyes are dark… _she mused, knowing that that had to be the reason she never saw him the previous night. She swallowed hard as she remembered the wails of what sounded like banshees burning to death.

A dim light sunk into the room through a sad excuse of a crack on the bottom of the heavy door which was responsible for locking her in the room with Sasuke and the Sleeper. _The Sleeper certainly lives by his nickname… _she mused, realizing that if his eyes weren't as dark as Sasuke, he had literally been sleeping for well over sixteen hours with no awakening.

She heard a light tap of footsteps coming towards her cell and her heart raced widely. Were they coming to get her? Sakura scooted towards the shadows, wanting to get away from where the light would hit her directly. "This is it, Lord Orochimaru: cell number 23." Kabuto's muffled voice pierced through the door, resonating in Sakura's ears. _Oh no… they're here… _she could feel her nerves tensing up as she pushed herself as close up against the wall as she possibly could.

"Excellent," the snake man hissed. "We should start out experimentations immediately. We're getting closer and closer to our goal," Orochimaru finished with a cackle, and a deathly cough following afterwards.

"My lord, you mustn't strain yourself… please, go rest. Lord Pain and I will take care of the experiments," Kabuto urged Orochimaru, and from what Sakura heard, the latter man complied. She heard a series of keys unlocking the cell door. She heard chain after chain drop to the ground outside with an eerie clang.

The door creaked open, and Sakura's emerald orbs met the coal ones of Kabuto, and the deep purple ones of another man. His hair was a subdued, fiery orange color—similar to that of the sunset, and his eyes matched that concept. His face was covered in piercings and bags hung under his eyes. A frown was constantly portrayed on his face—a frown that promised nothing good. His name matched his appearance: Pain.

Swallowing hard, Sakura continued to push herself onto the wall, feeling her heart jumping out of her chest as she did. Were they there for her? Or for Sasuke? Or even possibly, for the Sleeper? "Now we shall take her," the deep, resonating voice of Pain spoke out in a clear velvet—somewhat aligned with what felt like daggers as his words stabbed into her, engraining in her mind. _'Her'… I'm the only girl… _She snapped her emerald eyes shut, tears practically dripping down from her eyes. _Please don't take me… please, don't take me… _She begged frantically.

The door opened wider, and the dim lighting shone in more. Shadows were still cast in the majority of the room, but light shone on both her and Sasuke. Sakura's emerald orbs darted over to her pale cellmate. His onyx eyes were dull and heavy, but he was awake. Dark, charcoal bangs hung in his eyes, ineffectually covering the dark circles that looked more like makeup than bags coloring the underside of his eyelids. His thin lips were curved into a constant frown that promised nothing but endless depression, and a sea of hopelessness.

Bandages were wrapped around his torso, colored near black with caked blood seeping through. Areas of those formerly white bandages were torn open—ripped apart by some rabid beast. _That must be from when the Sleeper attacked him… _she mused. The damage was obvious, and scabbed, opened wounds were showing evidence of literal chunks of flesh missing from his abdomen. Sakura's heart raced at the sight of him. As the light continued into the room, her eyes continued to travel. Where was the Sleeper?

The dim lighting never hit one particular corner, big enough to fit a human being who may have sat, but never to lie down. Sakura swallowed the growing lump in her throat, sweat dropping from her brow. _There… _she pointed mentally. That was where the Sleeper was—and that was where she had to be sure to never go. "She is a frail thing," the voice of Pain ended her free thoughts and brought her back to reality: they were going to take her for experimentation.

"Indeed she is," Kabuto answered, sounding almost disappointed. "She didn't put up anything near the fight that our little Sasuke did." His voice was full of mockery as his lips raised into a sarcastic smile. Sasuke scoffed, raggedly standing to his feet.

"I'll kill you…." His voice seethed with rage—and intent to maim and murder. Something akin to a bloodthirsty beast waiting to devour whatever came in his way. His lips twitched into an uncomely smirk, twisting his features into a crazed mongrel that was both rabid but enticing. Sakura shivered in fright. Was this the same person who was encouraging her?

"Be careful, Sasuke, you don't want to wake up the 'Sleeper' by causing blood to run everywhere, do you?" Kabuto's voice held the same tinge of mockery, but it didn't matter: it seemed that his words immediately registered into Sasuke's mind, causing the raven to slump to the floor, his eyes widening until the full of them could be seen. Sakura could tell simply by his face that fear had set in—an unmatched fear. Sweat dropped from Sasuke's brow and his mouth hung open as he gasped for breath. _Did they put the Sleeper in here with Sasuke on purpose? _She asked herself. It would make sense, considering how fearful he was of it.

A thought hit Sakura: what if the Sleeper was their only successful experiment, and they were trying to fill the world with others like him? Such a bloodthirsty beast could never be controlled, tamed, or sane. The thought sent chills to race up Sakura's spine and back down. Before she could expand on her musings, Kabuto grabbed her arm with a brutish force, dragging her up to her feet, but not before her knees scraped against the floor. "Ah!" She cried as she winced in pain, but the pain was nothing compared to feeling that came later: the wet.

Dripping from her knee, was that distasteful fluid. The fluid she needed to live was secreting from her body in slow, painless drips, spotting the stone floor with crimson. Deep, dark, dreary… Bleak. The blood colored gray into an incredulous beauty that spoke of death, torture, fear—and yet it was beautiful to one particular being in the room: the Sleeper. The scent rose to his nostrils, his heart raced, and his eyes fought to be snapped into life. _"Wake me, wake me, wake me" _Sakura could practically hear the voice, though sound was dead on her ears. "Get her out!" Pain raised his voice, obviously knowing the danger of losing their newest specimen to the Sleeper.

Sasuke's eyes dashed to the dark corner and he gasped for breath, screaming loudly as if he was in some sort of pain, but a matchless horror—an indescribably fear under toned his voice in a wail of anguish. Kabuto threw Sakura out of the room and slammed the door shut, chaining it as quickly as he could manage. Sakura saw nothing else of Sasuke in the room, and she heard nothing through the door.

Her heart pounded within her chest. The Sleeper was awake. He was awake and he was in the room—in _that _room with Sasuke. _What will he do to him? _She asked herself, fearful for her cellmate. She could practically see the tears of horror running down his cheeks as the Sleeper tore at his flesh, groan after scream after wail after pain ripping from his victim's throat. Wobbly legs brought her up to standing and her eyes veered down to her bleeding knee. It wasn't even a lot of blood: it was just a scrap with a few dots decorating the small cut, but the Sleeper had smelled it. _It really doesn't take a lot to wake him… _Sakura swallowed hard, subconsciously engraining Sasuke's order into her mind: "Never bleed, not ever."

* * *

Dim, faded blue lighting danced around the room, leaving it in near darkness. The walls were rough stone, shadows invading the crevices and hiding the impurities of their corrosion. An occasional candle light swayed with the breeze of an individual walking by it. It was hot and sticky in the laboratory, but coolness continued to wash over Sakura's forehead as she felt as if she was losing her consciousness.

Kabuto hovered over her, a mask tied around his mouth and nose. Sakura had given up on struggling. She was chained down to a table—exposed for all eyes to see. This wasn't how she had imagined the first man to see her bare body to be, but there was no helping it: there she lay, naked. The humiliation brought tears to her eyes, even if what they were interested in getting from her wasn't her body, the condition she was in was immoral, exposing, and demeaning.

"The last girl we gave the regeneration serum to began to have growths on her body that ate her away," Pain warned Kabuto as he saw the scientist preparing a syringe. The silver haired man planned on ignoring Pain's presence, but found it necessary to answer:

"She did—but we burned her; besides, I edited this one. We'll see if it works, shall we?" He snickered, flicking the needle to be rid of air bubbles. Sakura's heart throbbed in horror. _Growths that ate her away?! _She swallowed a lump in her throat as sweat dropped from her forehead. Her emerald orbs widened in horror as Kabuto brought the syringe to her arm, preparing to inject the serum into her system.

She tried to refuse it, attempting to pull away from the needle that was closing in on her skin. She tried to scream out protests, but her mouth was currently biting the cloth that they had tied between her upper and lower jaws, making her incapable of speech. She felt the pinch of the needle stabbing into her flesh, and the thick viscosity of the serum pushed throughout her blood stream, painfully making its course throughout her body.

A painful burn immediately jolted her, causing her to writhe in pain. Screams of agony tore out of her throat and she could almost feel her body convulsing. Was her body rejecting the serum? Was she going to die? Her breathing was heavy—Sakura barely had time to breathe as her groans transformed yet again into anguished wails when the burn turned into what felt like a series of jagged swords tearing her insides into mush.

"Ah, it's the sweet sound of accomplishment," Pain spoke with regality, looking down at the writhing pinkette with accomplishment.

"Lord Orochimaru will be pleased," Kabuto nodded, a sinister grin exposing his white teeth. Sakura could finally feel her body calming down as the serum seemed to fuse with her blood, making a more normal course throughout her body until it thinned with the red fluid completely. Her breathing continued as heavy as it was as she caught her breath. Her senses began to return to her, the wildness of horror escaping her body.

Pain removed the chains from her body as Kabuto began to put his doctor's and scientist's materials neatly away into a container. Loose wrappings were tied around her bleeding arm tightly, feeling as if it would stop her circulation. Sakura pulled away in resistance, but Pain's strength far outmatched hers. Her brain, though recovering, felt dull. _Where am I? _She looked around with foggy emerald orbs, her mouth hanging open in an uncomely gawk.

The fiery haired man then dressed her, ignoring the confusion she was portraying with her dull facial features. "I am taking her back to the cell," he spoke to Kabuto as he took his leave before the scientist could bother to respond. Sakura stumbled beside Pain as he more than dragged her across the floors. Her legs twisted as they wobbled with her lack of strength, and her stomach turned in knots. Several times, Sakura almost found herself tripping over her feet, but the strength from Pain's grip kept her stumbling.

He unchained the door with far more ease than Kabuto had earlier expressed, and he threw the door open. There was utter silence cast throughout the cell, but Sakura didn't have enough sense back in her system to look up to see the results of the Sleeper's awakening. Without further hesitation, Pain threw the pinkette into the cell and slammed the door immediately afterwards.

Sakura's head hit the stone with a thump, taking away her last bit of strength and knocking her unconscious.

* * *

A groan was eased out of her throat as her head throbbed towards her awakening. _"Get her out!" _Pain's voice recalled in her mind; it was a faded memory. Get her out… Get her out? What did he mean? _Get me out… _she continued to repeat in her mind, straining to remember where she was trying to get out _from_. Then it hit her: the Sleeper. The Sleeper was awake.

Jumping up, Sakura ignored the pain coursing throughout her body and tossed pink strands of hair out of her eyes: "Sleeper!—"

"Is asleep," Sasuke cut her off, struggling to speak as he was focusing of keeping even breaths of air. Sakura's head snapped over to the raven, and a frown curved her lips downward. But why? Why was she so disappointed that the Sleeper was gone?

"But… he was here…" her voice trailed off. She needed to talk to him—to see how dangerous he really was. After all, Sasuke was still breathing wasn't he? Which brought up another question: "How did you subdue him this time…?" She asked. This time it was recent. Sasuke had to remember what he had done to get the Sleeper away from him.

Silence fell over the room. Not even the shifting of weight to get comfortable was heard in the stone room. A cold air washed over the cellmates from the crack of the door. Sakura pinched her lips together. _What is up with him? _She wondered, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Her heart pounded within her chest when she heard something akin to another standing up. "S—Sasuke?" She stammered.

"Hush," he ordered, neglecting the question he was supposed to be answering. Eerie groans could be heard outside the door in a light, agonizing voice. It was pitiful, painful, and it stung Sakura's heart. Who was out there? "Suigetsu…" she heard Sasuke's voice practically whisper the name. A shrill screech reverberated in the formerly dead silence. Chills skittered across Sakura's skin and she breathed in a sharp breath, fearful of what she heard.

"You know him?" She could feel Sasuke's eyes practically glaring at her. _Right… he told me to hush… _she swallowed, remembering the hostile side of Sasuke that he had shown to Kabuto before she was taken away.

"He's in pain…" Sasuke said simply, but there was an understanding sympathy in his voice—a sadness that overcame any heartlessness that it could possibly be mistaken for. Sakura stood up carefully, being sure that her feet could balance her before she walked over to where she assumed the raven stood. "Why isn't Karin healing him…?" Sasuke mused aloud, his confusion coming out clearly in his shaky voice. _Suigetsu must be a friend of his… _Sakura confirmed in her mind.

"Who's Karin?" She asked almost silently. She felt him glare at her again, causing her to flinch back a bit. "Why are you glaring at me?" There was a long pause before he responded, his tone saturated in confusion.

"I'm… not… I haven't even looked at you," he assured her. Sakura lifted her brow a bit, but followed that action with a sharp breath inward, looking towards the corner where she believed the Sleeper to be located. She stepped closer to Sasuke and clung to him in fright.

"The Sleeper's awake…" she breathed out in horror, clinging to Sasuke all the more. The raven peeled her hands off him carefully.

"No, he's not; he's sleeping, trust me," he responded simply, not a bit of fear heard in his voice. Sakura looked up at him, her emerald orbs flashing with a challenge.

"How can you be so sure?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt a look that was softer, more comforting and gentle gaze down at her. Her heart fluttered slightly and she backed away. "W—what?"

"Trust me," he urged her gently, the velvet in his voice smooth and encouraging, promising nothing but truth. Sakura swallowed hard, backing away from the man. _I can't get so close… what is he doing to me? _She wondered until her back hit the wall and she pressed against it. The words repeated in her mind. _"Trust me, trust me, trust me" _They held such an assurance—such a lack of questioning that it confused Sakura. They became her own thoughts: _Trust him… trust him… trust him…_

* * *

It was like a cafeteria. Droning conversations filled the room, sounding closer to zombies than humans. Laughter never broke the monotonous tone. What was there to laugh about? The structure was crude, and dark, but enough lighting to see who was who and what was what. The gas lights were dulled down so the room only glowed eerily. If inside the room long enough, your head just might've begun to ache from the strange choice of light. This is where the experiments ate.

Sakura walked alongside Sasuke; both were wearing collars with wires connecting them to the eating cells ceiling. But that wasn't abnormal for this place—everyone's neck had a collar and everyone was connected to the ceiling. It was so that with the pull of a lever, if anyone dared to defy Lord Orochimaru or Lord Pain, or even Kabuto himself, they would receive a jolt of electricity that would shut them up.

Sasuke sat down at a table with a young man around his age, a whitish blue mop of hair tossed across his head messily. Lavender eyes were dull and weary with exhaustion. His lips hung in a constant frown at he poked at his food, seeming more interested in his water than anything else. His pale skin seemed to be taking on a bluish color, almost matching his hair.

Beside that man was another man, flames of orange hair dancing in disarray atop his head. He looked older than both Sasuke and the other man, and his face was simple. He didn't look hostile, nor did he look exhausted. There was more of a kindness residing in his facial structure.

Sakura knew both these men had been experimented on—or else they wouldn't be here. After all, she herself had already been taken into the laboratory, as dreadful an experience that might've been. Her eyes darted from one male to the other until she finally took her seat beside the raven. "Suigetsu, where is Karin?" The man with whitish hair looked up in a response: Sakura took it that he must be Suigetsu, the man who was wailing a few hours earlier.

Suigetsu only responded by biting his bottom lip in remorse, his eyes filling up with tears. He shook his head no and looked back at his cup of water. "Karin was burned last night," Jugo, the man with the disarray of an orange mane, answered for the friend sitting beside him. Sasuke bit his bottom lip harshly.

"So that's who it was…" he mused aloud, gazing at Suigetsu pitifully, offering his sympathy. "I thought she was getting better?"

"She was," Suigetsu spoke in a scraggly voice, choking on a gulp of water as he rushed to speak. "But they ain't hearing none of it… they just took her and—and… and burned her..!" He slammed his fist on the table, more tears making their course down his face. "Karin was—she was always _there_, you know? There for me!" His sentences came out broken, his heart wrenched. Sakura felt terrible for the man as she, too, chewed on her bottom lip. "Imma kill them—kill 'em all, that's what…" he grunted through his teeth, grinding them as he spoke.

"Suigetsu, we can't kill them, they're too powerful," Jugo contradicted, but his voice never being rid of the calmness that would ease anyone's downtrodden spirit.

"Then we'll get the _Sleeper _on our sides," Suigetsu snapped, glaring at Sasuke directly. "Why don't _you _get him to help us make our escape?! This place is killing all of us! Remember Neji?! Choji?! Ino?!" Suigetsu's list could have gone on, but he chose to stop there as his breathing intensified, as well as his temper. Sasuke flinched, leaning back a bit on the backless seat.

"I can't talk to the Sleeper," Sasuke nearly whispered. Sakura had to lean in to actually be a part of the conversation taking place. "He hates me—he wants to eat me alive…"

"Well guess what? So does Pain—"

"Lord Pain," Jugo corrected, trying to keep the rebelling fish boy from getting a stronger voltage than he usually did during the eating hour. Suigetsu chose to accept Jugo's advice, biting back the rest of his statement. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in his seat, continuing to eat the mush of food before him. The four continued in silence, Suigetsu occasionally repeating sentences of mourning over Karin that he had earlier stated. It was almost like a repeating defect in his body. _Maybe the experiments did that to him… _Sakura mused, frowning. At one point, they were all normal people, weren't they?

"SASUKE!" She heard a voice scream out—a double voice, as if it were possessed by some sort of demon. Her head snapped over to where the dangerously ominous speaker was: he was surrounded by a red glow that seemed to form tails and ears around him. His eyes were a bright red—not deep like blood, but piercing like flames of discord. Blonde hair shot widely around his head, and dark black whiskers adorned his cheeks, flushed in rage. A demonic shriek ripped out of his mouth as he widely reached for Sasuke.

"Down!" Sasuke ordered Sakura, pushing her off the table and pinning her to the floor whilst the crazed demon jumped over them, clawing at Sasuke's back, but never touching. "It's Kitsune…" the raven breathed under his breath, watching the blonde lunatic with careful eyes. If Sakura didn't know better, she would have been paying more attention to how Sasuke's body seemed to press on hers in a more than friendly manner, but that wasn't something to worry about now. Their lives seemed to be a bit more important.

"Kitsune?" She asked in concern, gulping down a growing lump in her throat.

"Stay down, I have to bring Naruto back," he ordered, jumping off her and facing who he referred to as, in some sense, Naruto. His posture was hunched, but something about the loose form was intimidating. Sakura's eyes stood on the raven until a shrill shriek was heard from behind her, followed by a deathly growl that promised nothing but immediate death. Her head snapped back to notice the formerly peaceful Jugo had transformed into a beast, crazed and foaming at the mouth.

"It's Restless, Sasuke!" Suigetsu called out to the raven, attempting to subdue "Restless" with brute force, but to no avail. _'Restless'? _The name resonated in Sakura's mind. Sasuke was trying to bring "Naruto" back. Suigetsu was trying to subdue "Restless". It immediately came into Sakura's mind: _They're bipolar… _Her heart raced at the danger of the two males, who were struggling against Suigetsu and Sasuke.

A piercing shriek tore out of Kitsune's throat as he charged at Sasuke, beating the ground with all four limbs as he ran. Sasuke swallowed hard, grabbing a pole from the side of the wall. _Does he know that's still connected to the wall? _Sakura watched the raven as he absent mindedly was holding onto it. What was he doing? Her attention veered towards the struggling Restless, or rather, struggling Suigetsu.

The fish boy was more than struggling keeping Jugo in submission. Jugo writhed, screaming demonic groans and shrill shrieks, piercing the air with ghastly voices that seemed to be doubling. The reverberating sounds sent chills up and down Sakura's spine. She didn't know if the echo was worse than the real thing.

A loud crash was heard from Sasuke's side and Sakura once again turned her attention to him. The pole was in his hands and he had swung it onto Kitsune, successfully smashing him on the wall. _He ripped the pole off the wall?! _Sakura's emerald orbs widened and her heart raced. How strong was this man? Kitsune purred, sounding in pain, but that purr was followed after with foam dripping from his rabid mouth as his eyes danced. He heaved heavy breaths in and out as he waddled towards Sasuke.

Restless ripped free from Suigetsu's grasp. "Eh, girl, look out!" Suigetsu called out to Sakura, but his warnings were on nearly deaf ears as Restless grabbed her off the floor, tossing her onto the wall.

"Agh!" Sakura cried out, her lungs being emptied of air. Her eyes widened in fright.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill!" His orange hair danced as he repeated that word—that word kill, as if it was the only word in his entire vocabulary. A devilish smirk spread on his face as a demonic laughter sung on his lips. "KILL!" He shrieked, his eyes twitching in ecstasy. Restless grabbed Sakura by her throat, a burning, choking force dulling her brain of blood.

Sakura's hands raised up to Restless's, trying to pry them off hers, but it was to no avail. The crazed lunatic had found his prey. "Kill!" He repeated, his voice shaking in anticipation as his smirk transformed into a demonically delighted smile—a grin.

"S—Sas—uke—" Sakura managed to choke the name out in a breathy, cut off voice. Did he hear her? Would she be rescued? Her eyes became hazy from the lack of blood. The only sounds on her ears were the constant _"Kill, kill, kill" _from Restless and the shrill shriek of Kitsune…

_Dull… lifeless… horror… Bleak._

_Am I… dead?_

**XxxX**

**Cliff hanger. :[ I really didn't want to do that with this story, but I reached my word limit and this chapter was going to end up being too long. So! I'll be working on Chapter 3, trust me! :] Oh and… if you guys don't know, just in case, there will be characters dying in this fanfic, to my dismay, but it's the only way this will work. The people Suigetsu mentioned are already dead, as is Karin. Don't forget to R&R! Arigatogozaimasu for your support.**

**InaGaTa**


	3. Chapter III Mystery Which Binds Me Still

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters and my chapter names are lines from works of Edgar Allan Poe

Whew! Okay, so… I retyped this chapter completely because I didn't like where it was going, but I think it's better now so I hope you all like it. :] I would give you guys songs that inspired me with this story, but the lyrics might give the plot away lol so, I'll just give you a lyric-less song: The Mind of Izuka (from Fire Emblem). Enjoy chapter 3!

* * *

**CHAPTER III**

* * *

_It all happened so fast. I didn't know what had happened, nor did I know what had gotten into me. The word—the name just slipped from my lips so naturally. "S—Sas—uke," was my plea for help, but I wasn't supposed to trust him. Why was I trusting a man who was very well as psychotic as the one suffocating me? My eyes dulled over, and I felt that I was losing consciousness: my life's consciousness. The sound of Restless's word "kill" slowly became dead on my ears. I was falling asleep—or, rather, I was dying._

_Before I could completely succumb to the death that was hanging over me, Restless's large hand was removed from my throat and I dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. Dizzily, I looked up to my rescuer, only to see the pale hand of Sasuke outstretched to help me to my feet. My emerald orbs travelled up his tall form, eventually meeting up with his eyes, sharp with his attentive behavior. Weakly, I took his hand and he pulled me up off the ground, my frail form in turn leaning on his built torso. _

_He saved me. The words didn't quite register into my mind until I repeated them over and over and then some. My throat still felt clenched from the insanely powerful grip of Restless, but I slowly began to feel my flesh adjusting to how my neck was supposed to be formed._

_I would be a fool to not be grateful to Sasuke, but I couldn't help but complain to myself about how the collar was still choking me terrible. It seemed as if Restless had crushed it closer to my neck, making it choke me almost as badly as he had been. My breaths were raspy as I tugged at the collar. One thought passed through my mind—a single thought. I still don't know why I thought it, but I thought that the hinge should snap so I could breath. My tugging wasn't nearly hard enough to snap the collar off my throat, but it snapped._

_I could breathe… _

_For a second. Until I saw all the eyes on me as if I had done something forbidden—or… was it impossible? To this day, I can't put my finger on what exactly it was by the look that they were giving me, but Sasuke's look was one that I could determine: interest. Far too much interest._

* * *

His onyx orbs seemed to peer through her very soul, looking into all the intricate details of her life past. Sakura swallowed hard, stepping away from the man she was previously thankful for. He had saved her life, but that look that he was giving her was unsettling. It made her worry. It made her flinch. It made her forehead drop with sweat and her lips dry in fear. As the other experiments began to close in on her, Sakura pressed against the wall, Sasuke looming over her ominously.

Sasuke's ebony bangs fell off his forehead as he leaned further over her lacking stature. Sakura could feel her body shaking from center to circumference. Her eyes switched from Sasuke to Suigetsu to Naruto and the other people getting closer and closer to her, but Sasuke was closest of all, and he wasn't moving. "Back off…" he mumbled to the others around him, his voice dripping with hostility. Chills skittered across Sakura's skin upon hearing her cellmate speak in such a menacing way.

She tried to catch sight of his eyes to see what kind of expression he held, but he had snapped his head back to cover his eyes once again with his bangs, as if he knew what she was trying to do. Sakura swallowed, pressing against the wall, fearing the man in front of her. "What do you want from me…?" The words wisped from between her lips. The fear clung to her voice, making it raspy and near inaudible.

"How… the heck… did you do that?" He spat, sounding clearly irritated. Something in his voice was switched—it wasn't the same tone he had used with her previously when they would speak to each other. It wasn't the gentleness nor was it the comforting. It was sinister, promising nothing but a creative, unique, grotesque murder. Sakura breathed in sharply, holding in her what she thought would be her last exhale as she snapped her eyes shut. All she saw was the shadow surrounding her fading. _What…?_

Hesitantly, she peeked her emerald eyes open, only to see Sasuke holding his head in pain, holding back groans and merely grunting. His breath came out harshly as he eased himself to his knees. "Urgh…" he mumbled, tugging at his charcoal mane as if more pain would ease his current pain. As Sakura was about to ask him if he was all right, a tortured scream ripped out of his throat and he completely subdued himself to the ground, curling up in an uncomely ball.

"Sasuke?!" Sakura asked in confusion, kneeling beside him. She was afraid to see him foam at the mouth, or hear his own set of shrill shrieks, but the last thing she wanted to do was leave her debt unpaid. He had saved her life; it was only right if she stood by his side.

"This is all your fault—ya hear?! All your fault!" Suigetsu chided angrily, kneeling beside Sasuke himself.

"I—I'm sorry—" She cut herself off. What was her fault? What had she done: take the collar off? How would that cause Sasuke to writhe in pain? Sasuke screamed in pain, tightening the ball in which he was twisted in. He tossed himself to the side, stretching out in agony, another scream tearing out of his throat: the scream being more shrill and crazed. Sakura shivered subconsciously, her emerald orbs widening. _He's… he's crazy too… _her heart pounded as she now for the first time saw how her cellmate could get. Only, he wasn't hostile, it just pained him…

_Why…?_

* * *

_The words kept coming into my mind: dark, dreary, blood… Bleak. Bleak was always different—as if it was a revelation of its own. My mind was acting as if it was trying to convey a message to me that I didn't know, except it was my mind. I know everything my mind knows, because my mind is me… So what was this sensation?_

_Bleak. It rolls off my tongue so easily—so naturally, but every time I say it I feel a new sense of fear run up and down my spine in chills of horror. Was it because it expressed my situation so clearly? Or was it because I had heard it somewhere before? Or was it not my mind that was conveying these thoughts to me? Bleak._

_Something so dangerous… so indescribable would fall over me, begging me to never utter that adjective in this place. It was to remain in my mind, but I had sudden desires to hear in on my lips._

* * *

Sakura's eyes stood focused on the sleeping male resting on her lap. They had been taken—or, more correctly dragged—by Kabuto back to their cell. The time for eating was over and it was back to their cold, dank cells. The pinkette shivered, feeling a chilling draft wash in through the crack of the door. As the time elapsed, her emerald orbs began to more readily adjust to the darkness, but the strangest phenomenon about it all was that no matter how hard she tried—even with him on her lap—she couldn't ever see Sasuke.

It was as if the man fused with darkness—as if he were one with it. He was dressed darkly, he was adorned darkly. Everything about him was dark save his pale, ghastly skin that would allow him to be mistaken for the near undead, but even that shade of skin could not be seen in the darkness. Sakura stroked her fingers through his mane of ebony hair to ease the peaceable raven as he twitched while dreaming. _What would someone like him dream about? _She wondered, left with no clues as he never seemed to utter a murmur in slumber.

The world seemed to press against her as his hair was far softer than she could have ever imagined. She could feel the grime that had set into it due to a lack of washing, but a softness resided in the texture—something akin to both silk and maybe cotton. A short groan escaped his lips and Sakura knew he was awake with he shifted, following after by suddenly jerking up by the unfamiliar spot in which his head rested. "Who are you?" He asked so quickly it sounded like one word.

"It's just me, Sakura… they took us back to our cell," she explained, earning a content sigh from the raven almost immediately after. She felt him shift once again as he positioned himself to sit beside her.

"What happened to me?" She felt him look over at her when he spoke, so she looked back, hoping their faces weren't too close for her own moral comfort.

"I don't know… you walked up on me and it was frightening… like you were going to kill me where I stood, but then you just backed off and started holding your head in pain," Sakura recalled all that she could remember, minus the breaking off of her collar. There was no one to help her if he lost control again. Sasuke grunted a thoughtful "hn", sounding disturbed by her account. "I'm sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry," he apologized genuinely. "I wish you were rooming with someone else. It's… dangerous here," he warned. Sakura knew what he was speaking about: the Sleeper. Where _was _the Sleeper? Was he in the cafeteria with them? Sakura's heart throbbed and a lump grew in her throat at the very thought of eating in the same room as the Sleeper. Then again, she was _living _in the same cell as that lunatic. _At least he's always sleeping… _she mused in her mind, a sigh of relief easing from her lips.

"How… how did you get away from Jugo?" Sasuke asked hesitantly. Sakura looked over at him dubiously. It seemed that he never remembered accounts he was the most heroic.

"You tore him off me, remember?"

"Oh, right…" he mumbled back, his comment not ensuring at all. He sounded more as if he was trying to convince himself, but fear resided in his voice clearly. Sakura looked over to where she knew his form was and placed her hand over his cold skin, feeling how tense he was.

"Are you all right?" She received no answer, but she heard his feet shuffling against the stone floor as he stood. Her heart rate quickened at his uneven pace of walking—or running—or… whatever it was, the pace was fluctuating in disturbing steps. It wasn't silent due to his walking, but it was eerie. Just the simple scratchy sounds on the stone from the shuffling of feet broke the silence in a tone of sinister promises.

* * *

_And that's when I felt it more powerful than ever: Bleak. The word was a name, being screamed _into _my mind—my mind wasn't screaming it at me. It repeated over and over, terror chilling every last sense to which I could lay claim. I could feel my lips parting in my subconscious, for some reason knowing that I should fight saying the name that was so desperately playing at my lips: Bleak, Bleak, Bleak…_

_A fear arose in my heart as I thought of how truly helpless and hopeless I was in my current situation. Maybe that work was mine to say. Nothing made sense to me, but I felt something awakening in my body—something full of power and maybe even promise. My head spun around the word: Bleak. My lips pinched to avoid the name: Bleak. I couldn't say it… _

_I knew I shouldn't say it…_

_And I now know why._

* * *

Sasuke's pacing calmed down, and the strange peace that once hung over the room returned and engulfed the cellmates warmly. Sakura breathed out an eased sigh, relieved to have the raven sitting back on the stone floor instead of brooding. "You're not safe…" Sasuke broke the silence, causing the pinkette to look up from the floor to where she had heard his voice.

"I know…" she nodded, being completely aware of her situation. No one was safe here. It was an experimentation lab—and they used humans. There was nothing safe about it.

"You're not healthy…" Sakura pinched her lips together, resisting the sudden desire to call his statement hypocritical. After his reaction—or whatever that was—in the cafeteria, the pinkette knew for sure that this man was, indeed, crazed with _something_. She just wasn't quite sure what yet. How could he tell her that she wasn't healthy? "I see it in your eyes… I hear it in your mind. Don't say that name."

Sakura's heart jumped out of her chest and she almost choked on her saliva. How had he known what she was thinking about? How had he known Bleak was a name rather than an adjective if he _was _reading her thoughts? The woman shifted uncomfortably where she sat. "The Sleeper is the one tempting you to say that, but if you do… you'll end up like Jugo and Naruto…" Sasuke warned, his tone wary as he knew all the details.

"The Sleeper is sleeping," Sakura said matter-of-a-factly, placing her hands neatly on her lap. She breathed in a sharp breath, looking over to the dark corner as if to check if the Sleeper was awakening. "How could he send me messages?"

"That's just what he does," the raven responded vaguely, seeming to avoid further detail, although Sakura could tell he knew why by his tone. Sasuke had told her that he had his first encounter with the Sleeper after his first experiment, meaning that he knew the man better than he was letting on. No one sleeps _that _long—he had to have woken up some time or another.

The weight of his words pressed on her hard, but something about hearing a command not to say it from someone other than herself eased the pain and panic from her mind. She breathed out slow breaths, trying to figure out why she was being so stubborn about saying that adjective aloud. _I would become like Jugo and Naruto… _She repeated his example in her mind. How would Bleak pertain to Jugo and Naruto?

_Unless… _They were bipolar, their other sides being named Restless and Kitsune. Did that mean she was becoming bipolar, and her other side was called Bleak? _What a depressing second name… _She took a second to joke to herself, trying to make light of the situation to ease her anxiety. The more she thought about becoming bipolar from the experimentation, the more real it seemed to her. It seemed as if it could really happen—as if it really _was _happening.

She hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, which meant that she was still overruling this Bleak that wished to enter her life. Sakura shivered, not wanting to share her body with a second personality—especially one that would resemble Restless or Kitsune. She felt a strong hand on her shoulder and was knocked out of her state of frightening thoughts. "Wha—" she breathed suddenly, her heart rate quickening as she jerked away from the contact.

"It's okay…" Sasuke comforted her, sitting across from her and squeezing her shoulder. Sakura raised her hand and placed it over Sasuke's stronger one. A content sigh eased from her lips. He saved her life, but he couldn't remember. He acted as if he was going to kill her, but he didn't remember. However, he could read her mind and outstretch his hand to comfort her. It made no sense. Sakura's eyes veered over to the dark corner: the Sleeper's corner.

"Will he kill me if he wakes up…?" Sakura whispered to Sasuke, knowing he would be able to figure out who she was talking about. A long silence hung over the room heavily. The pinkette swallowed hard, the suspense of awaiting the raven's response weighing her down, making breathing seem more like a task than a natural occurrence. Something about his long pauses did nothing to set her at ease; they, rather, took away any previous trust she had for him. They set her back. _What if he's just making up lies in his head? _She mused, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "Will he…?" She repeated in a lower whisper.

"I don't know…" Sasuke finally answered, his tone wary as if this time, he really didn't have the answer. Sakura's confidence left, but something about the thrilling experience of speaking with such a bloodthirsty creature made her heart pound with not only intense fear, but a shred of excitement. _I don't know why the thought of him is getting me more and more interested… _Sakura was beginning to worry for herself. Had that serum done more than "give her regeneration properties" or "make her lean towards becoming bipolar"?

She didn't know, but it felt as if it was. Was she becoming bloodthirsty herself? She hadn't thought about killing anyone. Was Bleak now trying to fuse with her normal consciousness so that they could coexist in the same form? Sakura swallowed hard, placing her hand to her chest to search for her abnormally fast heartbeat.

* * *

It was almost as if this place was designed for all levels of complete humiliation. Sakura thought she was done with the embarrassing, demeaning circumstances of this place. She was told by Kabuto that she and Sasuke would be able to bathe. It was cell 23's turn for bathing—which, Sakura figured by the way the silver haired man had worded it, they went through all the cells individually for who got to bathe day by day. This would be her only chance in a long time to get clean. Unknowingly, she agreed to the problem she now found herself in:

One tub. One small, cramped, one-person tub… to _share _with Uchiha Sasuke, her _male _cell mate. Sakura breathed in a sharp breath, exhaling shakily. Her eyes veered over to Sasuke, who seemed to be completely fine with the current conditions, already beginning to strip off his clothing. "Gah!" Sakura turned away, turning beet red. "You could at least warn me!" She rebuked him.

"It's going to happen anyways," he shrugged, kicking off his pants along with his smallclothes and stepped into the tub. "Yikes, that's cold…" he mumbled disapprovingly, making it sound more like a joke than really disliking it. Sakura rolled her eyes, hugging her arms closer to herself. She was screaming at herself for actually considering joining him. After all, they only had a certain amount of time before Kabuto came back to get them: then bathing would be over.

Though with great hesitation, Sakura complied, embarrassedly stripping herself of her clothing and stepping into the tub, being sure to stay as far away as possible from Sasuke as she could—which wasn't very far. A sigh of relief huffed out of her lungs when she found the water to be somewhat warmer than Sasuke had said. _He was teasing me… _she frowned harshly, tempted to send him a snarling glare. "It's not bad, right?" She heard him speak up.

"Sasuke, can we please _not _talk while we're naked?" She begged, trying to keep the last bit of dignity she had left. She heard him chuckle. The more she was with him the more he was feeling like… family: a big brother, per se. And big brothers did tend to tease their little sisters….

"Why not? It's not like our words portray erotic visions in our minds," the playfulness in his voice was over the top; he had obviously found something in Sakura that was worth spending time teasing.

"Don't word it like that!" Sakura felt an embarrassed heat rushing up her neck. She frowned harshly, not daring to look back at him. She was almost _sure _he was looking at her back just so that she would turn around in a tantrum and she would show more than she ought to. It was amazing what people would do for sheer laughter. But then again, who wouldn't want a good laugh in this place? _I guess they just take what they can get… _Sakura mused, still trying to exclude herself from the group of experimentations, though she very well knew that she was also one of "them" now.

Sakura and Sasuke continued to pass the soap from one to the other as they bathed, occasionally cracking a joke to break the stiffness and monotony of their situation. "Don't drop the soap," Sasuke teased as he passed it to the pinkette loosely.

"Keep that to yourself!" Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Yes, she was definitely getting a big brother vibe from him. Even so, she accepted the soap and scrubbed her body, passing it back to him when she finished a good portion of her skin.

She couldn't help but allow her mind to wander back to the phenomenon of their cell: cell 23. Sasuke would mention the Sleeper—Pain and Kabuto seemed to _fear _the Sleeper—and yet, whenever things like this would happen—eating at the cafeteria, bathing—the Sleeper would be nowhere in sight. _It could be that they just don't want to wake him up… _Sakura mused, the idea sounding dubious to her. The entire circumstance was strange, and she knew that Sasuke knew something that he wasn't telling her, but it was starting to not bother her as much as she wished it would.

"You know… If the Sleeper really wanted me to say that name: do you think it's because it would be someone that he could relate to?" Sakura asked the raven thoughtfully, tapping her index finger on her lips.

"That's what you should be afraid of," he warned carefully. His words were true: she _should _be afraid of the Sleeper getting along with a separate side of her, because then that separate side would want to come out more often to associate with the Sleeper until it completely took her over. But why wasn't she scared? The name was threatening in her mind once again, her head beginning to throb painfully. A light groan eased out of her throat and she pressed her palms to her temples. "Sakura?" Sasuke's voice cracked in concern.

"I—it hurts—" she cut herself off with a whimper in pain. She could almost feel her brain getting larger—or smaller? It felt as if it was twisting in circles, spinning in directions she thought weren't possible. _"Bleak! Say Bleak! Bleak!" _The voice in her mind was practically begging her. It didn't sound crazy—it didn't sound female. It sounded interested and inviting—tempting to give into if only once. The pain went down into her neck, causing her to curl into a ball. "Sasuke it hurts!" She called to the only she knew could and would help.

Neglecting their current state, Sasuke took the pinkette into his arms, his eyes wide as he watched her eyes haze over with a glaze. She saw him swallow hard as if what was going on was worse than it felt. Sakura felt a shrill shriek skittering up her throat, and the very thought that she would sound like the man Gaara made her shiver in fright as she clung to Sasuke. "Make it stop!" She begged in whimpers, the shrill, banshee screech tearing out of her throat dangerously as she felt her writhes transforming into near convulsions.

Her mind went blank. Only one word repeated in her mind:

_Bleak… Bleak… Bleak…_

She fought the urge to utter it, knowing that it would not end her pain, but intensify it. Something told her that—maybe it was Sasuke whispering in her ear, but she couldn't tell. Her eyelids sunk shut and she was gone, now nothing remaining in her mind.

**XxxX**

**Something about this chapter was oddly… I don't know… maybe I could call it a prelude. I'm not sure how to word this, so… I'll just quit while I'm ahead and we'll call it a prelude lol Well! I hope you all liked this chapter! It was pretty fun to type. Chapters might start coming out slower because I have to get serious with school work… bleagh… my science project is **_**almost **_**over though—and then I have to finish up my author project. So, can't wait till then! (Hopefully no more big projects after then!) Arigatogozaimasu for your support. Don't forget to R&R!**

**InaGaTa**


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